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About this Site

 WEB Desiree Jones 07Copy                                     Welcome to The Prevention Revolution.   In recent years, there has been a raging healthcare crisis going on in North America, the West in general, and now increasingly globally, and I would be genuinely surprised if you or someone you know has not already been personally touched by it.  Something seems to have gone very wrong with the health, and the prospects for health, for those of us who live in The West (United States, Europe, or other nations/continents generally perceived as “Western”) or live in a nation that has relatively recently undergone Westernization in terms of its socio-economic infrastructure.  Let’s take a look at some salient numbers.

 

DEFINING A CRISIS IN AMERICA AND THE WEST

Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that at present, 80 million (or 1 out of every 3) Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease; 66% or 165 million Americans are overweight (of which 30% or 75 million Americans are clinically obese); 21 million are diabetic and another 20 million are pre-diabetic.1  Further, more than half a million Americans are dying from cancer yearly, and approximately 1.5 million new cases of some of the most virulent cancers are being diagnosed in the United States alone each year.2  When, as lay people, we read numbers such as these, we often erroneously tend to conclude that “numbers” or “statistics” apply to “other people.”  But, these are not abstract numbers – they represent actual, live individuals.  One of those individuals may be you.  Obesity rates in the United States have doubled between 1985 and 2005, a rise that is unprecedented in the history of any Western nation.3   A problem that is usually closely related to being overweight or obese is Diabetes.  At present, the lifetime risk of Diabetes among Americans is 1 in 3, and even higher in some sub-groups.  A 2004 paper published in The Journal of the American Medical Association projects that by 2050, 50 million people in the United States will have Diabetes.  We must also remember that Diabetes is often a precursor to Cardiovascular Disease; and this means that as rates of Diabetes increase, generally so do the rates of Cardiovascular Disease.  Moving on to Cancer – a disease that is on everyone’s most dreaded list – we find that modern treatments have helped us to extend survival for multiple types of cancers, yet if we view trends from roughly 1900’s to about 2000; overall, we see that during this time period in the United States, we witnessed new cases of cancer emerge, especially with respect to cancers of the breast, prostate and colon, and at increasing rates.  Only very recently have we noted a slight decrease in breast cancer rates (these gains have been linked to a possible decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy and delayed diagnosis due to decreased mammography utilization) and colon-cancer rates (these gains reflect increases in screening that can detect and remove pre-cancerous polyps)2.  While recently published data from Cancer Journal for Clinicians suggests that mortality rates from both Cancer and Heart Disease have been on the decline in recent years, it is noteworthy that these two diseases together still account for nearly 50% of all deaths in the United States, and remain the two leading causes of death.2

Going past U.S. borders to other Industrialized Western nations, we find that our neighbors such as those in The United Kingdom, western and northern Europe, and Australia, are not faring much better than those in the United States.  These nations have demonstrated increases in Obesity and chronic disease rates, since the early/mid-1900’s that are comparable to the United States.  Presenting relevant statistics for each of these regions would easily fill a book; for this reason, I will present the majority of these statistics and their corresponding citations periodically as future blog posts on this site.  For now, here are just a couple of examples to illustrate the gravity of the problem: 1) Both Cardiovascular Disease and Cancers (especially those of the lungs, colon, breast and stomach) are on the rise in most countries in Europe; and 2) The World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2010, nearly three-quarters of the entire population of Australia will be overweight. 

 

DEFINING A CRISIS AROUND THE GLOBE

Heart Disease, Diabetes, Obesity and other related common chronic diseases are not just “Western” problems anymore.  Among relatively recently industrialized areas of the world, Asia appears to be the continent that is facing the brunt of an onslaught of conditions such as Heart Disease and Diabetes.  Today, China and India stand out as particularly salient examples of countries that have in recent decades seen an exponential rise in chronic disease rates, largely in response to rapid Industrialization, that has brought with it new ways of eating and living to these parts of the world.  While urban China currently faces a formidable and rapidly growing crisis in the form of Obesity and Diabetes, its neighbor India faces an even worse crisis.  The World Health Organization estimates that by 2010, 60% or more than half of the world’s cardiac patients will be from the Indian subcontinent alone, giving India the dubious distinction of being the country with the highest rate of Heart Disease in the world.  Moving past China and India, we find that the trend towards increasing rates of Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease and other chronic diseases is being experienced by several other nations around the globe as well – most notably this trend is conspicuous in the newly modernized economies of countries such as Ireland, Albania and others, as well as in several other Asian nations.

 

HEART DISEASE, CANCER, DIABETES … AND MORE

While the top three killer diseases are of the utmost concern for all, it is noteworthy that in recent years, we have also witnessed a marked rise in the rates of many other conditions in Westernized nations — conditions that may not be immediately life threatening, but are nonetheless serious.  These conditions include pathologies such as Digestive Disorders (proven by the skyrocketing sales of antacid drugs); Colon-related diseases such as Diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome;  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and young adults; Pre-eclampsia (in expectant women); Asthma (both in children and adults); and Depression (also both in children and adults), as well as numerous others.  Overall, based on observed trends, the numbers for both life-threatening diseases as well as a myriad of other non life-threatening but nevertheless debilitating diseases are projected to continue to increase in nearly all Western and Westernized nations around the globe.

 

THE PURPOSE OF THIS SITE

There are a plethora of health sites on the Internet.  Do we need another one?   I believe, yes.   The Web is often replete with “opinion,” but not with well-researched answers.  On the other hand, the solid answers that do exist are often hard to find by those not steeped in medical or nutritional research. 

I am an academic researcher involved in the in-depth, authoritative study of chronic diseases.  Over the last two years, while researching for my first book, I have had the opportunity to meet and address hundreds of individuals in both academic and lay settings across the United States.  The questions that have arisen from audiences during the course of these exchanges indicate a deeply felt need both for answers, and for a forum that can serve as a meaningful avenue for discussion, with respect to the question of how we can best benefit from the collective body of scientific/nutritional research and time-tested experience to prevent some of the common chronic diseases of our time.

In response to this expressed need, this site is dedicated to presenting and discussing current issues pertaining to health, medical and nutritional research, and other factors that are uniquely relevant to those who live in Western nations and to those whose nations have (as a result of  Globalization) relatively recently experienced Westernization in terms of their eating and living habits.

 

AUDIENCE

Bringing Gains made in Medical and Nutritional Knowledge to Individuals, Physicians, and CEO’s of Corporations / Sharing Informed Opinion on Critical Health Care Issues — GLOBALLY

Lay individuals are often the last to learn about advances in knowledge that occur in the fields of medical and nutritional research.  One of the objectives of this forum is to present some of the critical gains made by academic centers globally with respect to how research-based nutritional/behavioral choices may affect the prevention of several chronic diseases. 

Secondly, evidence indicates that there is a gap between advances made in research, and their actual practical utilization in clinical practice.   This site is designed to fill this gap and serve as a useful resource for physicians and clinical health professionals — as a means to keep abreast of critical advances in nutritional or other health-related research.

Finally, in light of the burden of astronomical health-care costs that have been borne in recent times by corporations, big and small, I will periodically present articles on how corporations can arrive at the assurance of both contained health-care costs and a healthier work force.  This is an increasingly acute need expressed by numerous corporation heads both nationally (in the U.S.) and internationally.

 My overarching objective is to write articles/posts that assimilate current & past epidemiologic research, present critical opinion pieces or white papers, and discuss other useful health-related information in a form that can be of benefit to all.

 

HERE IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF HOW THIS SITE MAY BENEFIT YOU

1.  LEARN WHY MOST PEOPLE GET SICK & HOW YOU CAN PRO-ACTIVELY IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF PREVENTING MANY CHRONIC ILLNESSES:  Develop a better understanding of some of the reasons why most people come down with one or more chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, as well as other common conditions; Partner intelligently and more fully with your physician(s) in your care. 

2.  UNDERSTAND RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS:  Learn about solutions (for many common chronic conditions) that are based on a body of evidence-based corroborative scientific research, rather than on mere “opinion.”

3.  DEVELOP A REASONED APPROACH TO THERAPIES:  Understand the strengths and limitations of both Conventional and Alternative Medicine(s); the challenges sometimes associated with each, and how you can develop a reasoned, rational approach to therapies.

4.  BECOME A MORE EDUCATED AND INFORMED CONSUMER:  Become a more savvy and informed consumer of research, and understand why it is in your best interest to learn at least the basics of distinguishing quality research from “hype.”

5.  KEEP CONTINUOUSLY ABREAST AND UPDATED:  Stay updated on critical health-related news of the day, and enjoy the benefits of having a repository of some of the best (but sometimes little known) resources on the web in one place (Use Resource links on the right for link previews, or click on “Links” on the navigation bar for a more comprehensive and regularly updated Resource List).

 

FURTHER READING FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING

Why are those in the West, and those in the newly Westernized nations exceptionally vulnerable to deadly chronic diseases?   What strategies can we pro-actively use to improve, or even maximize, our chances of preventing diseases such as certain cancers or diabetes?   Are there objective criteria that we can fall back on to sift through the confusing maze of health information on the market, and authoritatively make the right decisions when choosing diets, drugs, supplements,  or even a new health-related book?   What are some proven ways to bring both personal and corporate health-care costs under control?  – These are the questions that must be answered with clarity; but they are also the questions that frequently find elusive answers.   These are the very questions that I have been asked to speak on most often; for this reason, I will address these and other similar questions on this site.   Here are additional examples of questions/topics that I will aim to present:

  • Given all we know about the factors that contribute to the genesis of Cardiovascular Disease, why is 1 adult out of every 3 in America dealing with cardiovascular illness and resigned to lifelong dependence on medications? 
  • Notwithstanding gains in Cancer research, why is it that we so often find new cases especially of breast, prostate and colon cancer continue to emerge around us? 
  • Why are rates of conditions such as Depression on a steep rise in the West, both in adolescents and adults? 
  • Is there such a thing as an ideal preventive diet?  How can we know for sure?
  • How is the Sustainable Foods movement related to the cause of preventing chronic diseases?
  • How can the average person stay on top of nutritional or pharmaceutical research that may be critically relevant to his/her needs?
  • What are some of the precautions to bear in mind when using a new drug or another pharmaceutical agent that is new to the market?
  • Does everyone really need to know about types of “studies” and basic medical research protocol?  If so, why?  And, what is Epidemiology, anyway?
  • D0 Physicians need Epidemiologists?  In any case, why is the answer to this question critically relevant to you as a health consumer?
  • Why Statistics matter in Medicine — And why you should care.
  • What are the different medical schools of thought?  Is “Alternative Medicine” valid?
  • Corporate health-care costs exceeded profits in 2007 and 2008 for several of the Fortune 500’s.  Can employee health education really make a lasting difference?
  • Overweight and Diabetes are two of the biggest problems being faced by employees in corporate America, and by corporations in other Western nations.  How can these problems be brought under control?
  • Why is it now – in the age of Modern Medicine and unsurpassed technological advancement – that we are encountering some of the greatest challenges ever faced in preserving our health and prospects for long term well-being? 

Obtaining true and accurate answers to these and many similar questions requires that we examine our situation with a new, brutally honest and sharply incisive perspective — one that I genuinely seek to bring to this site.

 

A PREVENTION REVOLUTION? – WHY?

Given the magnitude of the chronic disease crisis that is upon us, both in the West and in the Westernized nations, I believe that we are now living in a time in which the re-active approach of treating diseases after they occur is one that is infinitely less preferable relative to the approach of pro-actively preventing diseases in the first place.  Certainly, all diseases are not preventable, but research suggests unequivocally that a very large percentage of chronic diseases are in fact preventable.

This site and all its contents advocate True Prevention — a term I have felt necessary to coin.  This is because the gulf between what most people commonly understand as “prevention,” and what I have posited in this forum as True Prevention, is very large.  Whether we are academics, physicians, or lay individuals, it’s time to embrace a mindset and a culture of True Prevention; Indeed, doing so and catching the spirit of this idea will involve a revolutionary change in how we have historically approached chronic diseases.   The Prevention Revolution is a life-affirming idea whose natural time has arrived.  Join us. 

But, to start…What is True Prevention as opposed to the old idea of prevention?  To know the difference, turn to this site’s very first post (Reaction vs. The Current Idea of Prevention vs. True Prevention: Take Your Pick  – Archived under June 2009).  

Desiree Jones, PhD

 

Notes:

1   Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, American Heart Association Fact Sheet, 2007.

2   Cancer Statistics, 2009.  CA CANCER J CLIN 2009; 59:000-000. 

3   Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS Data from 1995-2005).